Mentor Embedded Hypervisor - Reduce costs with high performance, secure consolidation on multicore application processors

Mentor Graphics Corporation announced its new Mentor® Embedded Hypervisor product for in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems, telematics, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and instrumentation. The Mentor Embedded Hypervisor is a small footprint Type 1 hypervisor developed specifically for embedded applications and intelligent connected devices. With the Mentor Embedded Hypervisor, developers can create high-performance systems that integrate and consolidate applications on multicore processors and make use of the ARM® TrustZone®. Development of new systems can be accelerated by reusing existing proprietary software and protecting intellectual property while incorporating Linux to leverage the open source ecosystem. With the new Hypervisor product, Automotive OEMs and Tier Ones now have the unique ability to design systems that can combine Linux, AUTOSAR, real time, and bare-metal applications and sub systems. The Mentor Embedded Hypervisor supports the Yocto Project-compatible Mentor Embedded Linux®, the GENIVI-compliant Mentor Embedded Automotive Technology Platform, and will support Android, Mentor Volcano AUTOSAR software, and Nucleus® RTOS. Mentor will continue to track and enable the latest versions of technologies and standards including the Yocto Project and GENIVI. Dr. Andree Zahir, vice president, head of engineering business unit AI (Automotive Navigation and Infotainment Systems) Robert Bosch Car Multimedia GmbH commented, "Mentor's continued investment in technologies like the Mentor Embedded Hypervisor enables automotive suppliers to take advantage of upcoming multi-core SoCs and provide more functionality and connectivity in a single hardware unit while maintaining isolation and separation for critical functionality." Mentor Embedded Hypervisor includes support for the ARM TrustZone, for applications requiring hardware-based partitioning of resources such as memory, crypto blocks, and keyboard/screens creating a completely separate secure world operating environment. It features a flexible device model that supports virtualized device access and direct device access for performance-critical applications and provides various mechanisms for inter-guest communications. "Building on the advanced hardware features of ARM Cortex®-A processors, embedded virtualization enables isolation of different workloads and enhances system security," said Keith Clarke, vice president, Embedded and Security, Processor Division, ARM. "Built with security in mind, the Mentor Embedded Hypervisor will help system designers consolidate functions, enable high-value services and reduce the size, weight, power and cost of embedded devices." The framework of Mentor Embedded Hypervisor is extremely flexible, allowing it to run on single-core or multi-core processor architectures supporting asymmetric multi-processing (AMP), symmetric multiprocessing (SMP), or a combination of both. The combination of the Mentor Embedded Hypervisor and latest SoCs from silicon vendors provides an integrated solution to speed development on these emerging hardware platforms. "The need to deliver rich and dynamic graphical interfaces for infotainment systems and instrument clusters is ideally serviced by the high-performance multi-core Jacinto platform from TI." stated Matt Watson, general manager of Audio and Infotainment at Texas Instruments. "The Mentor Embedded Hypervisor, along with Mentor's AUTOSAR and Linux-based automotive software expertise, will enable automotive Tier 1 suppliers and OEMs to fully take advantage of advanced platforms such as the Jacinto 6 by bringing together infotainment, instrument cluster and telematics functionality on one integrated SoC." By using the Mentor Embedded Hypervisor embedded systems, developers can: • Reduce test and debug times by consolidating multiple functions on a single multi-core compute platform • Take advantage of symmetric and asymmetric multiprocessing, or combinations of both (AMP/SMP) • Build secure, high-performance embedded systems at the highest privilege level in a system • Use the ARM TrustZone secure system architecture and deliver both normal and secure operations, such as secure boot and secure PIN access, within a single embedded application • Partition devices and memory to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive resources "The powerful and flexible features of the Mentor Embedded Hypervisor give developers the ability to consolidate functionality and meet the demands of today's complex and highly connected devices," said Scot Morrison, general manager of Runtime Solutions, Mentor Graphics Embedded Software Division. "The built-in security capabilities provide assurances of reliability and data integrity, and the comprehensive solution of runtimes, tools, and services enables companies to differentiate and lead in their respective markets." The Mentor Embedded Hypervisor product will ship in December 2013. For additional product information, contact a Mentor Embedded sales representative or call 800-547-3000. Or visit the company website at: www.mentor.com/hypervisor.